The Hobbit: A Matter of Family
by HoneyxMonkey
Summary: A young hobbit girl shows up at the gates of Erebor with a note and a name. She is looking for Bilbo Baggins. (This is a UA (universe alterations) of the Hobbit. Thorin, Kili and Fili didn't die and Bilbo stayed in Erebor (possible eventual Bagginshield)
1. I

After the gruesome battle that had nearly taken Thorin's life Bilbo found himself unwilling to leave the dwarf king's side. He decided to send word back home that he was alive but would not be returning to the Shire.

The dwarves certainly were surprised that he was staying but were ecstatic nonetheless.

Three years later Bilbo was met with a surprise of his own by having a young hobbit girl showing up at the castle gates.

"Can we help you?" Balin asked with a gentle voice.

She couldn't have been more than ten years old and was incredibly short, even by hobbit standards.

"I'm looking for Bilbo Baggins." She said rather timidly. She showed him a piece of a paper with a portrait of a family of hobbits and on the other side was a single name, her name. Charlotte Baggins.

Balin immediately showed her inside.

Kili came around the corner to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw the little girl he was stunned but quickly regained his composure.

"Who is this?" He asked with a smile as not to scare the girl further.

Her clothes were weary with travel and she looked like she walked the whole way.

"Her name is Charlotte. She's looking for Bilbo."

Kili nodded. "Of course. He's with my uncle. Come along Charlotte."

She took hold of his hand and followed the two dwarves to the room Bilbo and Thorin were in.

The two men were engaged in friendly banter when Balin knocked on the door.

Once permitted to enter the old dwarf closed it halfway behind him.

"My king, we have an unexpected visitor." He said, trying to not look Bilbo in the eyes.

"Who would just show up announced Balin?"

Balin cleared his throat. "I pleade you do not be angry. While our guest is unexpected I believe that many here will be excited to have her."

He motioned for Kili to enter, Charlotte trailing behind him.

When Bilbo saw the girl his jaw dropped.

She shuffled her feet as she nervously approached the older hobbit. She slowly pulled a note from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Mama said it was for your eyes only." She spoke with a slight country accent which Kili and Balin, who were already enthralled by the little girl, found extremely adorable.

Bilbo read the note and a suffocating silence filled the room. He sighed heavily and knelt down in front of Charlotte, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you Charlotte." He stood and turned to Kili. "Can you take her to the librbary please? She'll be fine on her own there. We need to talk. All of us."

Kili did as he was told.

Bilbo turned to Thorin who was about to say something.

"I'll explain in a minute but everyone needs to be here."

With that a small, unofficial meeting was called to order.

"What's all this about now?" Gloin asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "Fili told me there were hobbits." He looked at Bilbo. "Are there more of you halfling's running around Erebor?"

"Shut it Gloin. Let him explain." Thorin said with a glare thrown in the other dwarf's direction.

Bilbo placed the note and family portrait on the table. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before explaining. "There's only one hobbit here besides me. A young girl named Charlotte Baggins. She's my cousin's daughter."

"What about the note Bilbo?" Fili asked.

He took another breath. This was the most horrid part. "You can read it."

They took turns passing it around. After each dwarf read it his face showed absolute horror and sorrow.

_ Bilbo, I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way, truly I am. Something terrible has grown in our home. It has infected everyone, except my dear Charlotte. As I write this I can feel my body detoriating, fading into nothingness. I do not trust anyone else with the care of my daughter except for you, who was so kind to her when no one else was. The journey will be perilous and she must go alone. I can only pray she arrives to Erebor safely. Take care of her. Treat her as you would your own child, and keep her safe. That is my dying wish._

_ ~ With Love, Lydia Baggins_


	2. II

After Kili left her alone, Charlotte wandered the large room. The library was big but cozy, perfectly comfortable to a hobbit but would be considered stuffy to anyone else.

The room itself was lined wall to wall with bookshelves. Other shelves were aligned in a way to make comfortable little niches to sit in and read. This was not the work of a dwarf but of a hobbit.

Charlotte smiled to herself as she admired her uncles decorating skills. He had always loved reading so it should have come as no surprise to learn that he would do something like this.

She took out a little locket that hung on a chain around her neck. In it was a small picture of her mother. She kissed the picture tenderly.

"I made it mama." She whispered. She held back tears. She couldn't cry. No, she had to be strong... for mama.

She spent the next hour perusing the books. The young hobbit found a particularly intresting story about the elves. So she curled up in a big armchair and read.

Not to long after she had gotten midway through the book the doors opened and her uncle walked in followed by a dwarf who Charlotte recognized as the king.

"Charlotte?" Bilbo walked towards her. "Come with me."

After the meeting had dispersed Thorin took Bilbo aside. The shorter man looked like he was trying so hard not to cry.

"I know what you're going to say, Thorin." Bilbo looked warily into the dwarf king's eyes. "But she doesn't have anywhere else to go. If Lydia had trusted anyone else in the Shire to look after Charlotte do you really think that she would have let her daughter travel all the way here alone?"

Thorin knew he was right. But he was apprehensive. He was concerned that if she was surrounded by dwarves for the rest of her life she might be affected somehow. "Bilbo, you know I know you're right. The only concern I have is that she wouldn't be getting the kind of care she needs here."

Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Family is all she needs right now."

After three straight minutes of staring at the other Thorin finally relented.

"Fine."

Bilbo smiled. "Good. Now let's go get her."

**I know that this one is a little short, lol like the hobbits, but I wanted to get another on up.**


	3. III

After the first week of Charlotte being in Eerebor all the dwarves latched onto her. They all loved the little hobbit and it was an unspoken agreement between the dwarves that they would be willing to die for her.

The next day a fresh layer of snow covered the ground and Bilbo found Kili, Fili and Charlotte having a snowball fight.

And the two young dwarves soon found out about the hobbits special skill. Accuracy.

Charlotte kept nailing them both in the heads and then would laugh and scamper away.

They came back inside hours later, covered in snow and faces red from the cold. Charlotte was sitting on Kili's shoulders and all three were laughing.

"Thank you Kili, Fili." Charlotte said. She had the biggest grin. "It never snows in the Shire."

"Anytime!" Fili said, smiling. "We had so much fun!"

Kili let Charlotte off his shoulders once they reached a room with a fire already going.

The little hobbit immediately sat by the fire, excitedly telling Balin about their snowball fight. The old dwarf, who had been reading silently, put his book down and gave her his full attention.

He looked over at the two young dwarves who were brushing the snow from their hair.

"Aye, ya lads discovered the hobbits hidden talent." He chuckled. "I should've warned ya."

Kili laughed and so did his brother.

After another moment of silence Balin glanced over at Thorin who had entered the room.

"You know, with how dangerous it is to be living away from the Shire I think that weapons would be a good investment for her." He noticed Thorin glaring at him. "When she's older of course." He added quickly.

Thorin nodded but didn't say anything else.

"I'm not so sure how well Bilbo will agree with you Balin." Kili commented.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Fili looked at the door like he was expecting for Bilbo to walk in at any moment.

"Gandalf showed up." Thorin explained. "Bilbo is with him."

**In the next chapter, you will get to see Gandalf be the crazy grandpa figure to our dear Charlotte.**


End file.
